Cookie Progress: Weeks 41 - 45

This was a calm 5 weeks of cookie making as only one week had a true occasion and recipient.  I can feel that I am nearing the end and I am looking forward to not having to plan around when to make cookies and what I need from the store.  I am starting to reflect back on the last year in the kitchen and I am honestly amazed that I've almost made it.  It is still fun, but I have definitely felt the difference when the cookies aren't for someone specific.  I don't have the same motivation or excitement when they are just cookies to make cookies.

Week 41:
Cookies - Cherry White Chocolate Pudding Cookies
Event - Valentine's Day and President's Day
Recipe - http://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/cherry-white-chocolate-pudding-cookies/
Review - I made these after Valentine's day and President's day for the pink color and the cherry flavor.  There was no specified recipient for these so Brian and I both took some to work to share with others.  The recipe includes white chocolate pudding mix and cherry jello mix, so a bit like other jello cookies.  I liked the flavor of the cherry jello but also the color!  The cookies were pretty and smelled delicious as well.  I think everyone enjoyed these, some went back for seconds or thirds.  They were certainly easy to mix together and make quickly.  I never know what to do with the leftover cherry jello mix, but I'll come up with something. I did use sugar free jello in an attempt to cut back on the sugar since you also add plenty of sugar to the recipe and there is pudding and white chocolate as well.  I don't think you could notice the lack of extra sugar.  I thought about chopping up white chocolate rather than use the white chocolate chips, but I didn't because I had the chips and I was feeling "lazy".  I should bake with pudding more often - it makes the cookies so soft with just the right amount of chewiness. These were definitely a fun pink cookie to add to the list.


Week 42:
Cookies - Soft Maple Cinnamon Sugar Cookies with Cream Cheese Maple Frosting
Event - Just because
Recipe - http://www.designeatrepeat.com/2013/11/soft-maple-cinnamon-sugar-cookies-cream-cheese-maple-frosting/?crlt.pid=camp.jifNw44sZDuV
Review - I didn't have an occasion for these cookies so they went to work as well.  I enjoyed using my new baking mat to roll out the dough.  It did help the cookies not stick as easily as they do to floured counter top.  I also used my new circle cookie cutters.  I actually got biscuit cutters because they are thicker and have handles!  How handy.  I do enjoy kitchen tools.  The cookies were light and simple.  They were tasty but I thought they were a bit dry by themselves so the frosting was likely necessary to fully enjoy these cookies.  The frosting turned out to taste delicious, but was lacking in the appearance department.  Maybe softer cream cheese or sifted powdered sugar would help, but nobody seemed bothered by the look because they tasted so good.  A few ladies at work told me these were some of the best cookies they've had.  I had to tell them they weren't my best and they were upset I hadn't brought more in!


Week 43:
Cookies - Lemon Raspberry Cookies
Event - Brian's birthday
Recipe - http://heatherchristo.com/2014/03/05/lemon-raspberry-cookies/
Review - Happy birthday Brian!  Brian definitely had a favorite cookie from previous weeks which was his request for his birthday cookies - Strawberry Lemonade cookies.  Unfortunately, I don't repeat cookies to count for my weeks.  :)  However, I thought these would be a great alternative to get similar flavors.  Let me tell you, my mom came to the rescue on these.  I was short on time and she brought me a few ingredients.  I thought the recipe called for frozen raspberries.  When she brought them to me I realized the recipe actually called for freeze dried raspberries!  So she went back to get some for me - going to two stores to find them.  Phew.  I think it was worth it, though, as those freeze dried raspberries really do provide these cookies with something special.  These cookies were the perfect combination of crispy but soft (and stayed that way) and tart but sweet.  I'll say I know Brian enjoyed these close to as much as those strawberry lemonade cookies, so I call that a success.


Week 44:
Cookies - An Even Better Snickerdoodle
Event - Nothing, an easy recipe
Recipe - http://lovintheoven.com/even-better-snickerdoodle
Review - Time for a secret confession: I had a different cookie planned for this week and switched it for this recipe because it was easier.  We got back from vacation and I still had the weekend to make the week's cookies, but didn't end up accomplishing it until Monday night.  Oh. Well.  That's where I'm at.  :)  These were perfect because they were so simple, I had everything I needed already in the pantry, and it was a smaller batch.  Since I didn't have anything in mind for sharing these cookies it was nice to have a smaller batch and be able to give the normal taste testers a few extra cookies each.  Snickerdoodles might just be my favorite go-to "normal" cookie due to my love for cinnamon.  These were quite delicious and a perfect snickerdoodle texture of crisp, soft, and chewy.  They were a cookie that I probably would've eaten a dozen out of the oven if I didn't have self-control.  It was tempting.


Week 45:
Cookies - 5 Ingredient Raspberry Cheesecake Thumbprint Cookies
Event - St. Patty's Day and March Madness I guess
Recipe - http://bakerbynature.com/5-ingredient-raspberry-cheesecake-thumbprint-cookies/
Review - These were yummy.  I have never made jam thumbprint cookies, so it was fun to do.  I shared these at a March Madness watch party on St. Patty's day.  They were gone before a few of the late-comers even showed up.  I didn't have raspberry preserves at home, but I did have strawberry preserves.  Then I had to go to the store anyway so I caved and bought raspberry - it sounded so good!  Although I think strawberry (or any other flavor you prefer) would be tasty as well, I am pleased with myself for using the raspberry preserves.  They went so well with the light and yummy cookies.  The dough included cream cheese, thus the cheesecake.  It wasn't overwhelming, just enough to give it that creamy decadent texture and flavor.  They were a perfect amount of sweet.  I followed the timing fairly exactly and it was wonderful to have the just cooked edges to keep the texture perfect.  Yum.  I will make these again and again.  The dough was easy to pull together besides having to remeber to give yourself time for it to chill first.

Cookie Progress: Weeks 36 - 40

Another 5 weeks of bringing people joy through cookies!  I truly love how excited people get for cookies.  Baking for you is completely my pleasure.


Week 36:
Cookies - Raspberry Cream Cookies
Event - Greg and Mike's birthday
Recipe - http://www.anecdotesandapples.com/raspberry-cream-cookies-and-36-weeks
Review - Yum!  I wanted to make a cookie that would travel well since these had to go to two different cities, both several states away!  I was excited to use fruit in a cookie, especially with white chocolate.  It was a tasty combination.  I think I should've let the dough sit out longer after being chilled.  The last couple of batches out of the oven were a little better looking than the first couple.  The first few were more lumpy I guess, while the warmer dough cooked more evenly.  Next time I may use chopped white chocolate as the recipe calls for as opposed to the white chocolate chips that I used.  I also may use fresh raspberries that I freeze rather than frozen bagged raspberries.  I'm not sure it would make a big difference, but maybe in the amount of whole raspberries that were in the cookie rather than pieces.  I was excited to send the McCauley twins some cookies for their big birthday.


Week 37:
Cookies - Chocolate Chip Cookies (NY Times rated best)
Event - Casey's birthday
Recipe - http://iambaker.net/chocolate-chip-cookies/
Review - Casey wanted plain chocolate chip cookies, lucky for him I had a recipe that has been rated the best chocolate chip cookie recipe by the NY Times.  Unfortunately for me, it was a little more complicated than most plain chocolate chip cookie recipes.  I have never used bread flour or cake flour prior to these cookies.  I also hadn't sifted out all the dry ingredients before.  Plenty of time and hand cramps later I could start the actual mixing of the dough!  These also had to chill for awhile, so I had to plan it out more than usual.  However, they were amazing and Casey and others enjoyed them.  They got a great reaction.  It made a very large batch of cookies, so if I make these again I would either freeze some of the dough or cut the recipe in half.  Casey said these tasted "like Chips Ahoy!" - I know he meant similar in taste and texture but much better!!

Week 38:
Cookies - Soft and Puffy Peanut Butter Coconut Oil Cookies
Event - for Jon
Recipe - http://www.averiecooks.com/2013/03/soft-and-puffy-peanut-butter-coconut-oil-cookies.html
Review - Brian's friend Jon was very interested in my cookie journey and wanted to get in on it.  So when I had a free week with no events, Jon got a spot!  I was excited that he chose this recipe out of a few choice because I wasn't sure who would be interested in these since they are just a little different.  I loved how these turned out.  I honestly couldn't taste the coconut oil in the cookies.  I did tast the soft and puffy peanut butter, though!  I think Jon may have enjoyed them all in a short timeframe, so I'd say that's a success.  I liked the texture of these quite a bit.  They were a little greasy on your fingertips with the coconut oil and peanut butter, but didn't taste greasy.  I really like how they looked, it was a good dough to use with the cookie scoop.       

Week 39:
Cookies - Soft Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies
Event - Kevin's birthday
Recipe - http://americanheritagecooking.com/2014/06/soft-nutella-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Review - When we were in Wisconsin for Jess and Doug's wedding, Kevin wanted to make sure he got in on this cookie adventure and let me know when his birthday was.  He said chocolate chip may be his favorite, and Loretta helped me pick this recipe of a few different varieties I had to choose from.  I was also very excited about these, because baking with Nutella always turns out delicious.  I know these were enjoyed, I just hope they didn't cause an argument in the Coccetella home!  Not only were these delicious but they were very straightforward and simple to bake.  I did use semi-sweet chocolate chips as opposed to bittersweet chocolate chips, but I think it'd be fun to make it both ways and see which I preferred.

Week 40:
Cookies - Twix Cookies
Event - Jessica's birthday
Recipe - http://www.chef-in-training.com/2014/11/twix-cookies/
Review - These were perhaps the most talked about cookies that people seemed most excited about.  I suppose they are unique.  The cookie is a shortbread, then it has melted caramel and melted chocolate on top.  Each layer required cooling before moving on to the next.  I made these while I was getting my internet upgraded and the technician said, "Yum, cookies!  Someone will be lucky."  Oh if only he knew how lucky so many people have been!  They were a sure manual labor of love for my best friend's birthday.  We both love Twix so it was awesome to make these for her.  She was more excited than just about anyone so far.  That is by far my favorite part of baking cookies; it's all to give people something to smile about and enjoy. 

Cookie Progress: Weeks 31 - 35

And the journey continues - a whole blog full of BIRTHDAYS!  I'm getting closer.  I'm enjoying it, but I'm getting to the point where I will be ready for a break.  Thank you for your continued excitement and interest, as that is a major motivating factor for me.

Week 31:
Cookies - Homemade Oreos
Event - Mom's Birthday
Recipe - http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2012/02/homemade-oreos/
Review - Mom enjoys Oreos so I thought these would be fun to make for her birthday.  They were fun, I really enjoyed making these and eating them!  I wasn't convinced they would actually turn out as a hard crunchy cookie with a set filling inside.  I thought they surely would turn out more like whoopie pies.  They proved me wrong, they were a harder cookie with a perfect filling.  It was interesting to see these come together.  The cookie was a good cocoa flavor without being too rich and overpowering and the filling was a great balance without being too fluffy and sweet.  Although they weren't quite like Oreos, they were certainly closer to them than whoopie pies.  They were a little tedious to make since you had to roll out the dough and cut them out to bake, then make the filling and assemble.  I also gave a few to my friend Jessica's mom, Chris, who shares a birthday with my mom!


Week 32:
Cookies - Caramel Stuffed Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Event - Barbara's Birthday/my birthday
Recipe - http://thebellevieblog.com/caramel-stuffed-soft-gingerbread-cookies/
Review - A winter cookie as a gingerbread, but with the caramel they were a bit different.  They didn't turn out to look like the picture at all, that seems to be happening a lot lately.  They still tasted good, though.  I liked that these were soft and chewy instead of hard and crunchy like I normally think of gingerbread.  They weren't overpowering on the ginger, but had great spice flavors.  Again, I cheated and used caramel bits instead of unwrapping individual caramels.  They may have melted a little better but it was so much easier this way.  It still took plenty of effort to roll out two balls of dough and roll them around the caramel in the middle.  Since the caramel was in the middle, these tasted best right out of the oven or better in the microwave for a few seconds so it wasn't hard in the middle.  I think everyone really enjoyed these, which is really all that matters.


Week 33:
Cookies - Fairy Bites: Tiny Shortbread Cookies
Event - Cora's 5th Birthday
Recipe - http://pinkpiccadillypastries.blogspot.com/2014/02/fairy-bites.html

Review - These didn't turn out quite like I wanted them to or how they looked on the recipe, but still yummy and fun.  Tate was in town so he got to help me make these.  We both had fun.  The dough was still crumbly for me and never turned into real dough which I was worried about.  You pressed it into a pan and then cut it up to bake.  It was a challenge to get full pieces from the pan to the baking sheet without falling apart, so they were misshapen and a bit crumbly, but actually mostly stuck together.  They were a delicious light shortbread and the sprinkles made it fun.  Even though it was supposed to be crumbly, I think it was meant to stick a little better than mine did.  I triple checked the recipe so I'm not sure what went wrong.  Other than the fact that they didn't come together too well, they were super easy to make.  The best thing was that Cora really didn't care.  She still enjoyed them and was nice enough to share them.    


Week 34:
Cookies - Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
Event - Jessica's Birthday
Recipe - http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2014/02/24/dark-chocolate-almond-butter-cookies/
Review - Gluten free and delicious with the dark chocolate, these were more winners.  I get the special privilege of always trying a cookie straight from the oven.  In this case in particular it was a real treat to have this hot and fresh with the gooey dark chocolate.  I had never tried almond butter before so that was fun.  The recipe said you could substitute peanut butter but I wanted to try it as it was and try something new.  If I made them again I may use peanut butter just because the almond butter is so darn expensive.  These were easy to make and stayed together better than other gluten free cookies I have made in the past.  I got these mailed quickly so Jess could enjoy them as fresh as possible and she did!  Success!  She had several people offer to help eat them.  I also put up my new kitchen decor from Donald!


Week 35:
Cookies - Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Event - Regina's Birthday
Recipe - http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2013/05/flourless-peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Review - These were delicious and probably some of my favorites I've made.  Regina said it really made her day, so that's the best part of all!  These were the best gluten free cookies I think I've made.  They stuck together so well and were chewy and soft.  Although, if I were giving these to someone with a severe gluten allergy I may be in trouble with the potential for trace amounts of gluten in the oats since I didn't buy specifically gluten free oats.  Thankfully that wasn't the case with these.  They were so easy to make.  The combination of peanut butter and chocolate is always a win in my book.  These were another cookie I was extra lucky to test straight from the oven with the warm and melted chocolate chips.  They weren't quite as beautiful as the picture in the recipe, but still pretty good looking cookies.  They were bite size which is my favorite so you can have just one for a small treat, or a few for an indulgence.

Cookie Progress: Weeks 26 - 30

Week 26:
Cookies - Key Lime White Chocolate Cookies
Event - Lori's Birthday
Recipe - http://deliciousbydre.com/key-lime-white-chocolate-cookies/
Review - This week marked half way through the year!!  These were super easy cookies to make, using a key lime cake mix as a base.  I liked using the cut up white chocolate bar as opposed to white chocolate chips.  If I made these again I think I would try to add in some lime zest and or juice for an added punch of the lime flavor.  It was subtle but tasty in these cookies.  I might even add a couple drops of green food coloring to give it a nicer color.  These turned out a little more crumbly and rounded than the recipe showed, but they were still delicious.  I'm not sure what the difference was with that, but it didn't seem to be a problem with the flavors.  Lori enjoyed them and that's what matters.


Week 27:
Cookies - Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Filling
Event - Pumpkin season/fall
Recipe - http://dreamydesserts.blogspot.com/2008/10/pumpkin-whoopie-pies-with-creamy-cream.html
Review - Okay these are at the top of my list - some of my favorites!  Everyone else seemed to fall in love with these as well.  It made so many cookies so I shared with my neighbor and several friends besides my family.  Talk about some time consuming effort, though!  Not only was there a filling, but the cookies also required piping the dough out to bake them.  I was actually tired after finishing these.  They had such a wonderful balance of pumpkin spice flavors and the filling was the most delicious cream cheese frosting I've made.  I will certainly cut the recipe in half next time to save some time.  These were even gorgeous, which is always an added bonus in my opinion.  I will add these to my list of recipes to hold on to, but only for special occassions due to the effort; I like easy!


Week 28:
Cookies -Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Icing
Event - Fall, for Godparents and co-workers
Recipe - http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2010/10/15/pumpkin-cookies-w-cream-cheese-icing/

Review - These were tasty and everyone enjoyed scarfing them down.  My coworkers were happy to get some of my cookies and my godparents were pleased to receive a special treat as well.  It made a LOT of cookies.  I even halved the recipe and it was still plenty.  I enjoyed the little bit of cinnamon sprinkled on top of these cookies.  With the pumpkin cookies the dough is fairly sticky, so although I did use a cookie scoop, they don't turn out quite as perfectly round.  I suppose adding the icing helps the pretty factor some.  It was probably a bad idea to make these the week after the amazing pumpkin cookies in week 27.  These almost felt like a let down when they were still soft and pillowy deliciousness.



Week 29:
Cookies - Soft Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Event - Thanksgiving
Recipe - http://www.thebakerchick.com/2015/10/soft-frosted-pumpkin-spice-cookies/
Review - By the time I made these I was a little tired of pumpkin, but since it was Thanksgiving it felt like it was right.  My cookies didn't turn out quite as flat and pretty as the recipe showed, but flattening that sticky dough didn't work too well for me so I just went with it.  I did like all the spices in this one, it was quite flavorful.  I was also tired of having to frost all these cookies.  That is an added step that I don't like having to do!  It does add to the overall cookie and is an important step with these pumpkin cookies.


Week 30:
Cookies - Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles
Event - Carly's birthday
Recipe - http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/brown-butter-salted-caramel-snickerdoodles/#comment-234141
Review - These were heaven.  I was so excited about making these.  I snooped around Carly's Pinterest to find a type of cookie to make her when I saw that she had pinned one of the recipes in my list!!  So that was it.  Even better, the blog is two peas and their pod, which reminded that we used to say we were like two peas in a pod because we are such great friends.  :)  So, I cheated on the recipe a little.  I am a fan of simplifying things were possible.  The recipe called for caramels, unwrapped and cut up.  I bought a bag of caramel melts instead to save me the time and effort.  An unwrapped and cut caramel may melt a little gooier in the cookie, but this was just as tasty and much easier.  It was still a process to brown the butter and roll up the caramel in the cookies.  I thought you could really taste the browned butter and it might be my favorite new discovery in this process - so delicious.  The sea salt on top gave it a nice balance as well.  

Cookie Progress: Weeks 21 - 25

And I'm almost half way there...Let the baking continue!

Week 21:
Cookies - Almond Meltaway Cookies
Event - Leza and John's Anniversary
Recipe - http://www.thenovicechefblog.com/2013/03/almond-meltaway-cookies/
Review - I decided to make these cookies to celebrate Leza and John's anniversary because they reminded me of all the italian wedding cookies at their wedding.  These were delicious.  They really did melt away in your mouth.  I loved the texture of these cookies.  The glaze turned out better than any I've made so far.  I think it may have been due to actually sifting the powdered sugar to even it out and having the right measure of everything to get the right consistency.  It was a pretty white instead of a somewhat clumpy clear-ish glaze I've made in the past.  It was also a bit thicker so it stayed on the tops of the cookies better instead of dripping down.  This may have been helped by using the back of a spoon to apply the glaz, as well.  Delicious and beautiful are always a good combination for my favorite cookies.  The best part was getting an excited and grateful text from my cousin telling me they loved the cookies! I'm happy they were included in the challenge.


Week 22:
Cookies - Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips
Event - For Laura, who wanted to be part of my challenge
Recipe - http://sugarcooking.blogspot.com/2010/07/pretzel-cookies-with-chocolate-peanut.html
Review - These were at the top of the list.  I had high expectations for these cookies and they came through.  Laura lived in my mom's neighborhood growing up, we went through school together behind my brothers and her sister.  She's good people, so when she asked on Facebook to be part of my cookie year of course I said sure.  She was kind enough to come pick them up so I didn't have to mail or deliver  them.  When I told her what kind of cookies I made her she said "It's like you know my soul!!" :)  So, definitely a success!  That's probably the best reaction I have had, and that's the best part about making all these cookies.  The salty sweet combination of these cookies is heavenly - a perfect balance.  I suggest you try them.  They were also quite simple to make and turned out looking great.  The extra sea salt on top of the cookies really takes it over the edge, as well.  I tried one without the salt because I was unsure, but it was a truly vital part to the deliciousness of this well rounded cookie.

Week 23:
Cookies - Strawberry Chip Cookies
Event - Jake's birthday
Recipe - http://www.madefrompinterest.net/strawberry-chip-cookies/#_a5y_p=3537754
Review - Easy and delicious!  These used a strawberry cake mix which made mixing them up super simple.  I didn't even use my stand mixer, just mixed everything up with a spoon.  I have grown to be quite fond of white chocolate chips.  It certainly made for a sweet cookie.  Again, I think these were both tasty and pretty, with a good texture.  I could have made them a little smaller in size since they were so sweet, but that's just preference.  For those that love strawberry cake - I would recommend this cookie.  They might also be fun to make for Valentine's Day since they are a perfect pink color.  It was fun to deliver these as I always enjoy visiting the Bolins.      

Week 24:
Cookies - Lemon Pillow Cookies
Event - Grandma's makeup birthday cookies
Recipe - http://noemptychairs.me/2014/12/10/twelve-days-of-christmas-cookies-lemon-pillow-cookies/
Review - The name says it all.  They were pillows of lemony goodness.  I don't think they were as lemony as some would prefer, but I enjoyed them.  When you took a bite it was like a taking a bite of a cloud.  I do think these were even better right out of the oven because the texture was more pronounced.  The dough balls were rolled in sugar so when they were freshly baked they had a perfect sugar crust on the outside before you got to the pillow center.  Although that texture stayed when they cooled, it wasn't quite as obvious.  I did like the cracked look this gave them, though.  The important thing is Grandma enjoyed them and I think she was happy to have a week dedicated to her, even though she's been able to try most of the cookies.  She was impressed that they stayed soft and delicious as long as they did. 

Week 25:
Cookies - Pumpkin-Oat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Event - Halloween/Fall
Recipe - http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/08/pumpkin-oat-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Review - My first of several pumpkin cookie recipes!  I enjoyed these.  I have a pumpkin chocolate chip bread I make every fall and these reminded me of that.  The oats in this cookie give it a great texture, just the right amount of chewiness while still a soft cookie.  The only thing I would change about this recipe would be to cut it in half!!  I didn't give these away, so I ended up giving them to Brian to take to work and I took them to a Halloween party, but there were still plenty of cookies left.  I liked them better when I added a few chocolate chips to the tops of the cookies, it made them look more like chocolate chip cookies.  I put them in the fridge and that made them stay moist and delicious as well.  I don't always love pumpkin, but I'm looking forward to more pumpkin recipes coming up.